Push-button switch.



titi

UOMSFANY, ELYRIA, 0310, A CORPORATION UF OHIO.

:PUSH-BUTTON SWITCH.

Lltlll,

Application filed May 18, 1914, Serial No. 839,215.

To all whom it may concern.'

lle it known that l', Rar l-i. Manson', a citizen of the United States,residing at Elyria, in the county of Lorain and State of Ohio, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Trish-Button Switches;and l do hereby declare the following to bea t'ull, clear, and exactdescription ot the in.` vention, such as will enable others skilled in.the art to which it appertains to malte and use the same.

My invention relates to push button switches for control-ling electriccircuits, and especially t`o1' devices of this kind which are employedtor operating the warning signal `iliparatus of automobiles, motorcycles and other vehicles.

The particular object of my invention is to provide a switch of thetypementioned which is easilyv operated, .no matter where the button istouched. In the use to which l have referred. though of course l am notlimited thereto. the driver must keep his attcntion upon the operationot' the machine, and consequently. has no time to lool( at the buttonwhen he operates it. It is also desirable that the warning signal shouldbe operated immediately. 'With many of the old type ot' buttons, theoperator always has to take time to look at the button; consequently,this style ot' button, when employed upon :mtomobiles, frequently causesdangerous lela'y in the operation of the horn.

By my invention.' ll overcome these obstacles. and provide a buttonwhich can be eas ily touched without looking` at the button, and whichwill operate the switch no matter which part ol the button is touched.

Other objects ot' my invention and the invention itself will probably bebetter understood trom a description ot' an embodimentot the invention.

l`he ligure illustrates one embodiment of my invention.

lciferring now to the drawing and to the embodiment illustrated therein,at l l show a 1flame member, which here consists of a cylindrical shapedcasino. At f2 is shown a base member, which here consists of insulatingmaterial, inclosed within the member 1 and held securely in position bylugs 3 on the casing, which may be formed integral the-rewith and whichbite into the insulating material. The `member 2 is formed with achamber l, here shown as cylindrical in shape, and extending clearthrough the Specicaton of Letters Patent.

. the upper 'edge of the casing` l. l have shown the member l until thePatented Iller. ll,

Renewed November Il, 1913. Serial No. 261,148.

member 2, the upper portion ot the chamber being of less diameter thanthe lower portion. the casing and are here shown as integral therewith,being formed by turning inwardly the catch member 6 as extendiilg allaround the periphery of the `asing` but it` may readilybe formed in anyother suitable manner. The terminals of an electric circuitare shown atl' and 8, each consisting ot a screw driven into the insulatingg` member2, and insulated each from the other thereby. These screws may beprovided with washers 9 and l() separated from each other. At ll isshown the push button which may be ot any suitable form. l here show itot' greater area than the stationary member and ot' nmbrella shape,having an annular groove l2 into which the upper partsl ot' the casinglit when thc button is depressed. il. catch member 13 is provided forthe push button, here shown consisting ot an annular plate cooperating`with the catch member (3 upon the stationary member and normally held inengagement therewith by a spring 14 which. abuts at one end against abearing surface l5 in the button 1l, which may be formed by a bearingplate. The other end oi the spring' `abuts against a bearing' surfaceformed in the stationary member. here shown between the screws 7 and 8.rl`he member l?) is connected to the button l1 by suitable means, suchas screws :20.

The switch which includes the contacts is carried partly upon thestationary member and partly upon the movablemember. In the form shownthis switch consists of the two contacts illustrated and a member 30,here shown as a pin connected at one end to the movable'member l1 andextending through the coil vof the spring la, having an end 3lprojecting therefrom.

As will be seen, the movable member l1 presents a large area to theoperator.l li the operator presses upon the central portion of themember ll, it will descend in a substantially horizontal position,that'is, the member ll will descend substantially parallelto end 31 ofthe member 30 engages the washers 9 and l() which are electri 'allyconnected with the terminals of the electric circuit, thereby closing'the'switch andgcausing the operation of the signal. lt the button isdepressed upon the edge, say `for example., at the point 0, the

Catch means (i are provided upon till) edge i0 will descend about thepoint ll as a pivot or inici-nm, the curved point oi" the pin engagingthe washers t) and 10 and closing the circuit. The point 31 oi this pinis formed with a curved area, preferably hemispherical in shape, so thatno matter whether the pin descends in a Istraight line or 'is .inclinedand descends, the switch will be readily operated and the circuitclosed.

it 50 is illustrated asignalingA device, at (Sil.) a :source of current,and at 70;'71 and 72, the conductors which are employed to connect. thesignaling device7 the source oif current and the switch in an electriccircuit4 As .-.fi will be seen, the catches C and 13 term a plurality otloose t'ulcrums which permit the i' .ingl ot' the button, no matter uponwhat point et" the edge it is depressed, and at the vaine time, permitsa depression of the buton when it is depressed upon the center. Withthis arrangement7 the button responds to slight pressure, no matterwhere it is apf plied thereto. A

i have shown this embodiinent'of my invention, not that l wish to belimited to this torni er to the detaiis thereof, as l conteni- 'platenumerous and extensive departures from such 'torni and details, theinvention more particuiarly set forth in the* appended cieims.

i cinim: i l. ln a circuit controller, the combination ct" Y A bei'formed on the open end thereof by turning inwardly the upper edge ot"the casing,

a blot-lr ot' insulating material within the casing; having a chambertherein, a pair ot' electrical temninals in said chamber separated andinsulated from each other, a /push button relatively large area, a platefastened upon the bottom of the push button` said plate being within thecasing and a spring' Ynormally holding the edges ot' the plate aga-instthe under side ot' the turned over edges ot' the casingE permittingeither depressible or tiltingmovement, said .springev located betweenthe push button and the member of ii inletK cf material? and a pincarried by the pn li button havingr a substantially hemisphericai pointadapted t'o connect. the cleccylindrical casing' having; a catch neem!trieal contacts together when the push button is either depressed ortilted.

ln a device ot the class described, the combination of a push butt/on,catch means thereon, a base, catch means thereon, an elec'- tric switchcomprising a plurality of switch cont-acts and a switch closing memberhaving a semi-globular point, said member carried by said button, saidcatch means permitting rectilinear and tiltabie movement engaging witheach other at a plurality of points to hold said switch normally inswitch open pcsition and yielding,T means between said button and base,said button when pressed on an edge rocking about a point ot' engagementot said catch means and when pressed in the center descendingsubstantially parallel to the base to operate saidswitch.

3. In a circuitecontroller,'the combination olf a base, a pair oitnormally'open electrical contacts mounted on said base, a push buttonslidably connected to said base, means to slidably and rockablyconnectthe button to the base including' an annular catch on each of thebutton and the base, said button being tiltable about said catch memberswhen clen'essed, and a member de )endi'nc' from the center o'i theunderside of the but-ton adapt-v ed to connect said contacts when thebut-ton is either depressed or rocked about said catch members.

4. li. a circuit controller', the combination ot' a base, a pair ot'electrical contacts mounted on the base, an annular inwardly turningliange on the base, a push button Vhaving an annular outwardly extendingHange; said Hannes loosely cngaging'to permit rocking movement, yieldingmeans for normallyholding' said ianges 1n engagement,v and amemberproject-ing' from the central portion of thc button tor connecting saidcontacts when the button is either depressed or' rocked.

In witness wliereot', l have signed my name in the presence oti twowitnesses this 11th day ot' lylay, 191i.

. liY ll'. lilNSUN.

ll'ilncsscs: p y

Sloxnr BYLAN, Guo. ll. llonnn'rs.

